Do you have THE class this year?

We have heard it many times and even said it ourselves.

“I have the class this year.”

And by “the class” we aren’t talking about the amazing group of individuals they are. Instead we are referring to the fact that we have a class that contains a mix of personalities that make them unique, identifiable, and, let’s be honest . . . challenging.

We have the class that requires extra. Extra

time,

attention,

patience,

love, and

out-of-the-box thinking.

When we step aside and reflect on them as individuals, we love each and every one of them for their uniqueness. But in the moment, when they are all together in the room, and their varying personalities trigger and feed off of each other, it can be easy to forget how blessed we are to have the class and instead focus on the negative. And the negative causes exhaustion.

So what is the answer? How do we appreciate the qualities that make each student special and use them for good? How do we continue to serve each student in the ways they need? How do we give them time, attention, patience, and love without reaching exhaustion?

We ask for help. We read, talk, ask others, and search for the answers, because if there is one thing we know, it’s that there isn’t one answer that works for everyone or every situation. So, the more information we have, the more tools we have in our toolbox to help the children we teach.

This is the quest we at Teach Daily continue to pursue, hoping to find answers that will help teachers when they have the class or the student. First, we interviewed Dr. John Medina to find out about how the brain learns. Then, we interviewed Dr. Jody Carrington to learn about kids and teachers these days and the need for connection and self-regulation. And most recently we spent time with Heather Forbes, a licensed social worker and author, to take a deep look at perspective, inspiration to learn, and alternatives to consequences for challenging classroom behaviors. You can view this latest interview below in this week’s articles.

Our quest isn’t over, but we are definitely learning and growing, and as we do, we will continue to share with you, because one thing we know for sure is that we can’t do this alone. Whether it’s us or our colleague who has the class or the student this year, we want to provide help, so that you have the tools to give students your best all year long and they can go home each night and say they have the teacher this year.